Stirrup arrangements for physicians&#39; examining tables



Aug. 27, 1957 s. s. SPIELBERG 2,

STIRRUP ARRANGEMENTS FOR PHYSICIANS EXAMINING TABLES Filed Jan. 6, 19562 Sheets-Sheet l IVVENTOR. Sam S.Spielberg Attorney 1957 s. s. SPIELBERG2,804,363

STIRRUF ARRANGEMENTS FOR PHYSICIANS EXAMINING TABLES Filed Jan. 6, 19562 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

- Sa S, Spielberg BY' .l

United States Patent ()ifiFiee Patented Aug. 27, 1957 STIRRUPARRANGENIENTS FOR PHYSICIANS EXAMINING TABLES Sam S. Spielberg, NewYork, N. Y.

Application January 6, 1956, Serial No. 557,791

1 Claim. (01. 311-11 This invention relates to physicians examiningtables, and more particularly to a stirrup and a mounting therefor bymeans of which the stirrup can be moved to either an operative positionor inoperative and concealed posi tion relatively to the table, andparticularly while a patient is on the table, without disturbing thepatient.

In many types of examining tables, the stirrups used thereon areremovable and often become misplaced so that when needed the stirrupsare not always at hand. In other instances efforts have been made toprovide socalled disappearing stirrups which are adapted to be swungunder the rest members above the table top when not in use, and thusconcealed from view. One of the primary objections found in the latterconstruction is that the stirrup cannot be moved to operative positionfrom its position under the table top, without elevating the pivotedrest member located at the foot end of the table. Thus, when a patientis resting on the table and the stirrups are required, it is necessaryfor the patient to be moved while the end rest is elevated to permit thestirrups to be brought into operative position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tableconstruction in which the stirrups are of the so-called disappearingtype, and a feature of the present invention resides in the provision ofmeans by which the stirrups can be slidably moved to concealed positionunder the rest member without requiring elevation orlifting of the footend or other part of the rest member. Hence, with the use of aconstruction of this character it is possible to move the stirrups toeither operative or inoperative position without requiring movement of apatient then resting on the table.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a restmember provided with a recess in its under face member at its foot end,which recess is of such a size and is open at the front end of the restmember to enable the stirrup to be slidably moved into the recess andpositioned below the rest member and thus concealed from view withoutrequiring the pivotal or other movement of the rest member. Theinvention further contemplates a novel stirrup construction by means ofwhich the stirrup is rotatively mounted on its supporting rod, by whichthe rod is longitudinally adjustable through a supporting block, andmeans by which the block is pivotally mounted on a slidable supportingbar, which bar is longitudinally adjustable in the table to enable thestirrup to be moved either toward or away from the foot end of thetable.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I havedevised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularlypointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, showing a corner portion of an examiningtable provided with the improved stirrup mounting and showing thestirrup in its lowered and concealed position, the rest member of thetable being elevated to disclose the position of the stirrup;

Fig. 2 is a side elevatiton of the structure of Fig. 1, including avertical sectional view through the rest member showing the recessformed therein to accommodate the stirrup;

Fig. 3 is a detail view, consisting of a sectional view through thestirrup-supporting block;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a corner portion of the table,showing the stirrup-bar extended and the stirrup in an operativeposition;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 4, but with thestirrup folded down and in concealed position in the recess in the restmember, and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through the sleeve portion ofthe stirrup showing how the same is rotatively mounted on its supportingstern.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, whereinone corner of a physicians examining table is disclosed. This corner isat the foot end of the table, and the opposite corner at said end issimilarly constructed and is provided with the stirrup mounting to bepresently described. The body of the table is generally indicated at 1and the same is provided with the conventional top 39 on which aresupported in the known manner, the conventionally padded rest membersindicated respectively at 3 and 5. In many such tables the lower restmember, or that designated at 5, is pivotal by means of the hinge 4, andsupported in raised position by the prop-rod 8, but such a movable restmember is not essential to the present invention, since the improvedstirrup mounting does not require elevation or pivotal movement of thelower rest member 5 to enable the stirrups to be brought to either theoperative or to the inoperative, concealed position.

The rest member 5, pivotal or stationary, is provided at each of itslower corners with an undercut recess 7, which is open at its forwardend as indicated at 21, and can also be open at its side edge, and suchrecess is of a depth sufiicient to enable the stirrup 15 to beaccommodated in it and positioned between the rest member 5 and the top30 of the table, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, when the stirrup is in itslowered position of Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

Each of the stirrups 15 is formed with an integral sleeve or socketportion 16 which rotatively fits on the end of a rod 13. The mountingfor the stirrup 15 on the rod 13 is disclosed in Fig. 6, wherein it willbe noted that the rod 13 is formed near one end with an annular groove24, and a set screw 17, threaded through the wall of the sleeve 16,engages in the groove, thus coupling the stirrup to the rod 13 andpreventing its displacement therefrom while permitting free rotativemovement of the stirrup on the rod.

The rod 13, carrying the stirrup in the manner just described, isadjustably mounted in a block 10, having a bore 19 (Fig. 3) extendingthrough it and through which the rod 13 can be slidably adjusted tothereby position the stirrup at the required height for the individualpatient. The knobbed set screw 11, threadable in the block 10, holds therod 13 at any desired position of adjustment.

The block 10 is formed with a square notch 20 and a lengthy square,slidable bar 19 has one end pivoted at 12 between the walls of thenotch, thereby pivotally coupling the end of the square bar to the block10. The shape of the notch 20 and the pivotal mounting of the end of thebar 9 therein is such as to enable the block to be either positioned asshown in Fig. l, at which time the stirrup is horizontally disposed, orelse positioned at right angles as shown in Fig. 4, at which time thestirrup is disposed in its vertical or operative position. The

movement ofthe stirrup from its lowered, or horizontal,

position to its vertical or operative position is thus merely a matterof swinging the block about its pivot 12.

The guide bar 9 is slidably movable through the table top, or throughsuitable guiding elements provided within the top, in a manner to extendthe bar to any extent required, such as shown in Fig. 4, or to retractit Within the table top substantially as shown in 'Figs. 1 and 2. 'Thethe rest member 5. When it is desired to 'bring Jthe'stirrup'to an erectand operative position, the hand screw 22 is loosened sufiicien'tly toenable the bar 9 to'be slid 'freely out of the table top to the extentdesired to locate the stirrup at the required distance from theend ofthe rest member 5. This outward sliding movement of the stirrup willmove it out through the, forward open end 21 of the recess 7 withoutrequiring elevating movement ofthe rest member and thus withoutdisturbing a patient who might at this time be occupying the table.After the stirrup has been slid outwardly to the required position, theblock is rotated on its pivot 12 to'bring the rod 13 and attachedstirrup 15 to vertical position, substantially as shown in Fig. 4. Theheight of the stirrup is easily regulated by sliding rod 13 through theblock 10 4 thestirrup to be moved to either its concealed or itsoperative position without requirement of displacement of parts of thetable and particularly without requiring movement of therest members onwhich the patient might be lying; without requiring movement of apatient occupying the table, and without requiring detachment of thestirrup or its mounting. At the same time, full adjustment for thestirrup is possible with a minimum of eflort on the part ofithephysician or nurse.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention,

it is obvious that the-same is not to be restricted thereto,

but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope ofthe annexedclaim.

What I claim is:

In a physicians examining table, a rest member located adjacent tothefoot end of the table, said rest member having a free end and beingpivoted at a point remote from said end, the rest member having astirrup-receiving recess .inits bottom, saidrecess being open along theside of the rest member and being also open at the free end of the restmember to permit a stirrup to be moved through said open end of therecess and .to be housed to the required extent and then tightening theset screw 11 to maintain the adjustment. The return of the stirrup toits concealed position is merely a matter of swinging the stirrup downas indicatedby the arrow in Fig. 4, to bring it to its lowered position,and then sliding bar 9 inwardly until the block 10 contacts the foot endof the table. This telescopic movement of the rod 9 within the table topwill bring in the stirrup under the-recess 7 and through the forwardopen end 21 of the same and again without requiring elevating or othermovement of the rest member 5. A friction plate 23 may be attached tothe table top below the recess 7 to receive the stirrup and protect, thetable top.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that a disappearing stirrupconstruction is provided which enables References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,024 Adams Oct. 15, 1895 2,223,784Froelich Dec. 3, 1940 2,308,747 Froelich Jan. 19, 1943 2,391,717Lawrence Dec. 25, 1945 7 2,473,947 Hamstorm June 21, 1949 2,526,793Alfred Oct. 24, 1950 2,679,445 Roehm May 25, 1954 2,712,484 AdolphsonJuly 5, 1955 Reichert et a1 Aug. 2, 1955

